


The Boy who Lost His Voice

by redradioflyer



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Beaches, M/M, Makeouts, Summer Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-21
Updated: 2018-12-21
Packaged: 2019-09-23 19:27:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17086310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redradioflyer/pseuds/redradioflyer
Summary: Alfred gifts his voice to a weak lost merchild when he's young, and he's got along quite well without his voice all his life. Now, during his happy summer romance with his long time crush Gilbert, Alfred is about to have another run in with that same mermaid come to return his voice.





	The Boy who Lost His Voice

Alfred loves it when his father takes him to the ocean. The sea, the air, the smell. All that space to play. The only thing Alfred doesn’t like is the sand- it gets caught in between the rolls of baby fat, and if he gets too sweaty, it chafes in the most awkward way. Alfred is a cry baby, and once that happens, he always goes to his father crying like anything and begging to be cleaned. His father washes the worst of the sand and sweat away before buying him ice cream.

The ice cream. That’s another reason Alfred loves going to the ocean.

Although his mother had died when he was still too young to remember, Alfred doesn’t yet feel the sting of that acutely, and he never wants for attention. Today especially, he’s getting all the attention he could ever want. It’s his birthday, and Alfred’s party is at the beach. Alfred has always been rather good at making friends, and there are children running everywhere. Alfred’s face and chest is a mess of ice cream drippings and cake icing as he attacks the wrapping on his presents.

Arthur tries to clean him up, of course, but Alfred isn’t having any of that.  He is adamant about present time, and Arthur doesn’t have the heart to make him wait. The largest gift in size is a red Radio Flyer, and Alfred demands to sit in it while he opens his presents. Arthur has the children who brought gifts bring them to the birthday boy one by one, because otherwise, Alfred wouldn’t know who brought what (because really who looks at the tags when there are toys to be found?)

Alfred makes faces at his father as he films, always a bit of a ham in front of a camera. It means Arthur loves filming all the more, and today there’s a lot of joy to be captured. The children play with some of Alfred’s new toys before Gilbert announces that he’s going to go swim now. Gilbert is oldest kid there, 13 years old and he’s already got piercings. Arthur had been rather… well, suspicious of the boy at first, but he’s Ludwig’s older brother. Ludwig and Alfred are in the same class in elementary school, and Alfred had met Gilbert that way.

Instantly Gilbert had become Alfred’s hero- a lot of kids had that after all. Older kids who they idolized. While the facial piercings had initially set off all of Arthur’s ‘no good around my baby’ alarms, he’d actually found that Gilbert was incredibly good with children, and Ludwig clung to him just as much as Alfred does now. Gilbert had brought Ludwig to the party that day and had stayed to keep an eye on his younger brother.

So when Gilbert decides he’s going to swim, Alfred is distracted from his toys and thinks it’s time for him to swim too. It’s the cool thing to do, after all, if Gilbert wants to.

“Are you comin’ Baby Chubs?” Gilbert asks him as he takes Ludwig’s hand in one of his and offers the other to Alfred.

He takes it happily.

So the party moves to the water, and the parents who’d come move closer to the water to keep an eye on the children. The day moves on with the children enjoying their time on the beach. After playing in the ocean for a while, Alfred starts a spirited game of “Destroy Zuko!!!” in which he’s the Avatar (he’s always the Avatar) and he’s trying to ‘defeat’ Gilbert with the help of his friends. Much to his dismay, his father calls him back to reapply sunscreen.

Like all kids, Alfred hates getting rubbed down with sunscreen. He hates sunburn worse, but that’s a not a very immediate concern for him yet. Sure, he’d hate it if it happened but he’s fine right now so why worry?? Watching his friends play while his father rubs him down with the smelly gooey liquid doesn’t please him in the least. When he’s finally allowed to squirm out of his father’s arms, he takes off across the sand.

At just this moment, he sees movement off in the side of his vision, and he realizes a young blond boy is swimming down toward the rocky area where the water is deeper. There’s an old cave there, and Alfred has always wanted to see it. The cave is dangerous, especially during high tide, but Alfred is a child and the only permission he really needs is another child disobeying the rules with him. It’s a combination of his father’s back being turned and not quite having made it back to the line of parents closer to the water that gives him the opportunity escape.

He runs across the sand, getting to the first large rock down on the beach and successful in getting out of sight. The cave is dry for now but he doesn’t approach quite yet. It’s a broad opening and a craggy damp place. He knows that during high tide the place will fill with water. First he must find the other boy and he goes to the water to look for him. There are more rocks in this area, and it is technically forbidden to come here, though teenagers often do. He calls out softly to the boy, not wanting for anyone to hear him.

That’s the first time he sees it- a tail with wide fins breaks the surface as its owner dives down into the water. He goes to the edge and sits, looking into the deep water there with fascination.

“Hey!! Is there a shark?! A dolphin??“

Alfred scoots forward into the water a bit, knowing the ground dropped away quickly here so he can’t go far. He’s studying how the water looks different in this area, darker in color where the water gets deep. He notices the blond curling hair first before realizing a boy is breaking the surface.  The boy’s face is lovely, and his eyes are a deep sort of purple. Alfred is locked in place for a moment.  

“Hey wanna play with me?” he finally asks, and he reaches out a hand to him.

But the boy doesn’t seem to understand, and he draws close to Alfred. There’s tall craggy stones scattered around them, obscuring them from the view from the rest of the beach. The boy reaches out oddly webbed fingers to gently touch Alfred’s throat. Alfred in turn reaches out and touches the little boy’s hair, wondering why his hands are webbed that way and why there were slits along his throat.

The boy speaks in a voice that sounds impossibly small, and it’s not a language that Alfred understands. The child reaches up his other hand and now both of his odd webbed hands are on Alfred’s throat. He tightens his grip just a bit and words bubble up into Alfred’s mind.

“… _Voice _…”__ it says. “ … _Give to me… Must find family._ ”

The words continue to swirl in his mind, and the hands flex on his throat.

“You need it?” Alfred asks and he looks down into the water- the boy has come far enough out of the deep water to clearly see that he has tails and fins instead of feet.

The boy speaks again in his strange barely there voice, and though Alfred doesn’t understand the words, the feeling reaches him- desperation and loneliness. Fear. An expression full of anguish and longing on such a lovely face- he understands somehow that this fish-boy needs a voice to find home.

“You’re lost?” Alfred says, but he smiles- he wants to be a hero someday and letting this mer-boy borrow his voice doesn’t seem to bad. “You just have to bring it back when you’re done okay???”

The words don’t make sense to the boy, but after a moment, Alfred’s head tingles like someone gently brushing his thoughts. Understanding dawns in the boy’s eyes.

“… _bring it back _…”__

The boy rises up out of the water, pulling Alfred’s face down to his. The boy looks no older than him- all baby fat and chubby fingers. Their mouths are close together, and for a moment it seems as though the boy means to kiss him. Their lips just barely touch, and Alfred can feel the boy’s breath against his lips, as though this mermaid is trying to share the same breaths with him.

The oddness of the situation only lasts a moment because then a tingle starts in his throat and everything feels hot. The tingles turn into burning, and Alfred opens his mouth to scream. The sound of it is loud at first, incredibly loud, but soon as the burning reaches its most intense, his voice starts to fade and die. The boy releases him, but Alfred is still in pain. He cries and shouts but no sound comes out. Soon he begins to sob, big tears rolling down his cheeks.

The boy falls back into the water and hums, speaking now in a loud voice, speaking words that Alfred doesn’t understand. He recognizes it as his own voice, though, even though it has that odd feeling to it- that strange unreal sensation of hearing your own voice played back at you. The mer-boy looks radiantly happy, though, and reaches out to gently touch Alfred’s knee.

“… _thank you…”_ the voice in his head says.  _“…find my family!!”_

Even the voice in his head sounds elated, and though he’s confused, Alfred pats the chubby webbed hand on his knee and smiles back at the boy in the water. The moment is a calm enchanted one, even with the snot and tears dribbling down Alfred’s face.

It’s interrupted by the sound of people though, having heard Alfred’s scream. The boy disappears beneath the surface of the water and swims hastily away, presumably to hide among the rocks. Arthur turns the corner first, finding Alfred on the ground in the shallow water there.

Relief and worry is written on his father’s face, and just the sight of it has Alfred in tears again. He always cries more knowing his father is there to comfort him.

Soon he’s in his father’s arms and being held.

“Alfred, baby, what’s wrong?? Alfred talk to me!”

Though he continues to cry and hiccup, Alfred makes no response, can make no response, and the party is over as Arthur brings his now mute son to the emergency room.

—

Over the years, Alfred sees many specialists, and none of them can find a single thing wrong with the boy physically. None of the therapists can tell Arthur anything, other than there seems to be nothing wrong with Alfred’s emotional health either. Imaginative, happy, eager to learn, and perhaps a strange preoccupation with mermaids, but he’s a healthy boy.

Arthur and Alfred learn sign language together, and despite it all, Alfred doesn’t seem all that upset with the loss of his speech. Over time, the doctor visits and the therapists start to have a negative effect of Alfred’s mood, and Arthur slowly tapers off of bringing him to specialists. He still looks for a cure, a way to help his son, but he lets him get on with his life.

Though by the time Alfred hits his teenage years, Arthur gives him a smart phone and a tablet that will speak for him, and really Alfred wants for nothing. With easy access to texting and the tablet’s text to speech function, Alfred is pretty pleased with his methods for communication.

“I am a robot” quickly becomes one of the most used phrases on his tablet’s speech function, and Arthur never has to worry about his son overly much.

—

“Hey Baby Chubs, are you ready to go?”

Alfred forgoes any meaningful response and flips Gilbert off as he puts his shoes on.

Summer has come, and Alfred is 17. He’s getting ready for university, and he’s going to the same one as Gilbert. Even after all these years, Alfred is still tripping after the older boy. Gilbert is back for the summer too, and Alfred is eagerly trying to engage in a steamy summer romance with him- much to Ludwig’s utter dismay. It’s not that it was a surprise to anyone that Alfred is pursuing him. Alfred had grown up with a fan-boy level interest in the older boy, after all.

It is some surprise though when Gilbert, now with more piercings and dyed white hair, seems ready to entertain Alfred’s fantasies.

“I left the AC on for you and everything and you’re already flipping me off.”

Gilbert catches Alfred’s hand and pulls him out the front door. Although Arthur has been hesitantly allowing the two of them to have some space, he’s still suspicious of anyone who might try to date his son. Gilbert knows Arthur is likely not that far away so he waits until the door is shut behind Alfred to steal a kiss.

“Got stuff for a picnic in the car too,” Gilbert says with a grin. There’s a piercing in his lip that Alfred wants to tug at with his teeth.

 _You know what I like_ ,Alfred mouths to him slowly, a grin stretching at his lips. Gilbert, along with Ludwig and many of Alfred’s friends, had learned to sign with him, and several of them had gotten rather good at lip reading.

“You’re super hot when you do that,” Gilbert says. “It should be illegal- Baby Chubs grew up into Baby Jailbait.”

Alfred kicks him, and he shakes a bit with silent laughter. He reaches out and grabs Gilbert’s butt. Gilbert’s whole face instantly goes red- the best part about him is how easily he is to fluster. Even though Alfred has been aiming for steamy summer love, Gilbert has a very clear line in the sand. He allows make outs and a bit of over the clothes groping, but he drew the line there. After all, Alfred is still young, and Gilbert wants to do things right if they do things at all.

Of course, Alfred revolts at every turn.

After a squeak of surprise, Gilbert is grabbing Alfred’s wrists and giving him a scolding expression. “Already to the groping huh?” he asks, kissing Alfred gently on the mouth before shooing him into the car. “Behave or we’ll never make it to the beach.”

Alfred has his tablet, and they talk as Gilbert drives. It’s casual, natural, and Alfred likes that. Being able to kiss and make puppy eyes at someone but still have natural conversation with them afterwards is a first for Alfred. As expected perhaps, dating in high school is a weird awkward sort of mess that had left Alfred more or less unimpressed with the whole thing. This slow budding sort of tension he had with Gilbert is very much an improvement on that.

Soon enough the water is coming into sight. Alfred loves going to the beach, always has. Coming here with Gilbert has its ulterior motives though, and Alfred is sure they both know what it is.

Sunscreen. Alfred would get to rub SPF-70 all over Gilbert’s back, and it would be the most skin to skin contact that he’d been allowed so far. He’s incredibly excited. If he’s lucky, he’ll get to whisk Gilbert off into that old cave on the far end of the beach for fevered make outs. Although he wants to think that he’s sneaky, he’d already flirted with Gilbert enough via text that the true motive has already come out.

The fact that Gilbert is still taking him to the beach has Alfred in incredibly high spirits. His plan is sure to work.

The beach has quite a few people milling around, though it’s still a bit too chilly in the water to be crowded. Alfred sets up the blanket and umbrella first before pulling off his shirt and track pants. Although Gilbert still teases him with ‘Baby Chubs,’ he’s actually in pretty good shape. He plays football, and his chest is broader than Gilbert’s, his muscles larger. Still though, there’s a bit of pudge just around his love handles that he can’t seem to get rid of (and that Gilbert likes to touch.)

All in all, Alfred is sure that the view from where Gilbert is sitting is undoubtedly nice, and the way Gilbert eyes his body makes him flush with success.

“Come on down here, Jailbait, and do my sunscreen like you promised,” Gilbert grumbles and rolls his eyes. Alfred moves behind him happily, and he massages sunscreen onto Gilbert’s back. Though it should be a quick job, Alfred takes his time, admiring the tense of lean muscles, the paleness of his skin, the shape of him. Only 17 with no sexual experience to speak of well, he has to concentrate on not making the situation awkward. He leans forward, just almost letting his lips brush Gilbert’s shoulder. He doesn’t quite go through with it though, not forward enough.

“Okay okay,” Gilbert finally says, looking over his shoulder with a grin. “You wanna bone, I get it. Let me put yours on now.”

Alfred grins back at him and pinches his arm.

Gilbert moves behind his back and starts to spread the sunscreen on his shoulders. Unlike Alfred, he’s a bit bolder, has a bit more experience. He knows how to tease and he’s not afraid to leave little kisses along the back of Alfred’s neck. Alfred is shivering and half hard by the time Gilbert’s done.

“Looks like you need to take a cold dip to get a hold of yourself,” Gilbert says, wrapping his arms around Alfred’s back and pulling him close.

Alfred shakes his head and motions with his chin to the secluded place near the cave and signs to him, “Let’s go there!”

And Gilbert considers it, standing and lifting Alfred up into arms.

“Into the ocean or into the cave…” Gilbert asks, eyes full of mischief as he starts down toward the water. “I wonder what we’ll do!”

Alfred writhes in his arms and escapes. They dash through the sand, Alfred dodging and laughing in his own silent way. Gilbert is loud, boisterous, and they chase each other down toward the rocks. Sometimes, Gilbert gets the upper hand and starts dragging Alfred toward the beach, but Alfred is physically more powerful so he always manages to get the upper hand.

So they push and play and grab and kiss their way down to the rocky area.

Out of sight finally from the rest of the beach, Alfred grins and pulls Gilbert toward the edge of the water to sit down. They sit together, putting their feet into the water. They are both panting from the exercise, but Alfred is gazing at Gilbert, eyes flickering down at his lips every few moments.

Alfred grins and starts to make rude suggestive gestures with his hands.

“Hush, Jailbait,” Gilbert says, moving their faces close as he grabs his fingers. “You’ll ruin the mood.”

Alfred doesn’t have time to respond because Gilbert kisses him firmly on the mouth. This wasn’t like the other pecks and teasing, barely there brushing of lips. He’s serious this time, fingers curling into the back of Alfred’s hair to tilt his head just the way he wants it. Alfred opens his lips for him, kissing him back wetly, inexpertly, but with a measure of single minded determination that Gilbert rather enjoys.

After a few moments of star struck pliability, Alfred is bold enough to pull Gilbert close, tugging gently at his lip ring with his teeth. The action makes Gilbert moan in the best way, and Alfred lays back, pulling Gilbert on top of him. His feet are still wading in the water like this, but he doesn’t have time to think about that, doesn’t particularly care. This is the most skin to skin contact he’s gotten out of Gilbert so far, their bodies pressed together as they make out in the sand.

Alfred’s hands start to wander, tracing over his back and down to grope his bottom. Gilbert moans again but catches his wrists as soon as Alfred attempts to push his fingers under the hem of his swim trunks.  

“Nuh-uh, Jailbait,” he says, though Alfred can hear the smile in his voice. Gilbert pushes Alfred’s wrists up above his head, moving to kiss along his jaw instead. A knee forces its way between Alfred’s thighs rubbing him in the most erotic way. He wonders if Gilbert has changed his mind and he gasps noisily, begging with his body in all the ways he can’t with his voice.

“I gotcha, Al,” Gilbert murmurs. “I know what you want.”

He’s kissing at his neck, pinning him to the sand. The moment is perfect and everything Alfred has been waiting for and wanting.

But it ends much sooner than expected. He feels….  _something_ on his legs before he realizes it’s a hand. Before he can say anything the hand moves to Gilbert, grabbing him roughly around the ankle and dragging him into the ocean like some sort of awful horror movie. The moment happens so fast, one tug and Gilbert is under the water. Alfred moves to follow him but no sooner has Gilbert disappeared into the darker part of the ocean, does a face pop out of the water. Blond, pale skin and large purple eyes. There are slits along his throat, and when he looks into Alfred’s eyes he grins. Alfred gasps and tries to scramble back a bit, but the man in the water grabs his ankles with webbed hands.

“It’s you,” the man says out loud in perfect English. Alfred is frozen again, barely there childhood  memories and déjà vu hitting him hard in the chest. He feels dizzy.

“ _You’re back,”_ says the floating bubbling words in his head. The man looks down- Gilbert is coming to the surface. “ _I have your voice. I’ll give it back. Come to the cave tonight.”_

Alfred, too stunned to move, watches as the merman disappears back beneath the water and swims quickly out of sight. A few moments later, Gilbert surfaces, sputtering and gasping, trying to get the salt water out of his eyes.

Was his make-out session interrupted by a mermaid? That sounded perfectly ludicrous in his head, and he knows it would sound worse out loud. Still, he overcomes his shock and reaches out for Gilbert’s elbows, towing him up out of the water.  

“ _What the fuck, _”__ Gilbert says when he has his breath back. “What the actual fuck was that? If someone is out there playing pranks I’m going to kill them.”

Alfred sees a flash of face peeking around one of the rocks, sees the smile on his face and the light in his eyes, and Alfred is quick to distract Gilbert with a kiss.

“Let’s leave,” Alfred signs quickly to him. “Let’s leave. Lunch time?”

Gilbert turns to glare at the water, but the merman is gone again. Alfred nibbles at his lip, and he fidgets from foot to foot. The mood is gone and all Alfred can think about is the long dead conviction that he’d held as a child- that a mermaid had stolen his voice by kissing him and never brought it back.

Lost in thought, he goes back to their spot on the sand with every intention of coming back alone later that night.

**Author's Note:**

> i couldn't decide if it should be pruame or amecan so they all three get married it's fine


End file.
